


We, Zombies

by Suzanne_Ely



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 08:18:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15792645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suzanne_Ely/pseuds/Suzanne_Ely
Summary: Eccleston, the Chartreux cat, reunites with the Fifth Doctor in a town full of zombies.





	1. Chapter 1

He sensed danger as soon as he stepped outside the TARDIS. Was it the eerie silence, the fact that the village seemed abandoned, or was it simply because the TARDIS would always take him to dangerous places? No wonder his companions kept leaving him. Life around him wasn’t safe.

He started walking down the main street, noticing the state of decay the houses were in. Whatever struck there, it happened a long time ago.

Taking a firm grip on his cricket bat, the Doctor walked further down the road. Something wasn’t right. He had never felt the urge to carry a weapon before. He hadn’t been that worried before, either. It was as if someone he cared about was in grave danger.

A sudden noise startled him. It sounded like a call for help in Gallifreyan but with a strong feline accent.

Before he could acknowledge the fact that a cat was actually talking Gallifreyan, a Chartreux cat ran from a nearby street, so frightened that his tail was all fluffy. The Doctor made a mental note that a Chartreux cat with a fluffy tail was quite ugly.

 _”RUN!”_ Screamed the cat telepathically.

The cat ran past him and the Time Lord wondered what scared him so much. A few seconds later a mob came rushing from the street and the Doctor realised just how bad the situation was. Turning his heels, he started running frantically behind the cat.

“Since when do Zombies run?! And why are there zombies in the first place?”

 _”Shut up and RUN!”_ Came the answer.

The Chartreux cat went straight for the TARDIS and jumped inside through the cat flap the Doctor had created him in his last incarnation.

_”Hurry up! They are right behind you!”_

The Doctor fumbled with his keys, opened the door and closed it right on time. The first zombie came crashing in it.

“Crickey, what is going in on here?”


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor looked down to find the cat licking his fur with great care.

“Is this really the best time for this?” Wondered the Doctor.

The Chartreux cat looked up at him:

_”You changed your face again. What went wrong with the curly hair?”_

“I fell off a radio telescope.”

_”Not pretty…”_

“What about you? How did you end up here?”

Eccleston didn’t reply. Instead, he walked around the TARDIS, taking in the latest changes that had been made since he last was here.

_”We should help those poor people. They haven’t been themselves for quite some time and I believe that I figured out what went wrong with them.”_

The cat explained that he had explored the town in search for clues, only to discover that it had been cursed many centuries ago.

_”A man and his four sons got slaughtered by the local nobleman who wanted the wife all for himself. She tried to get justice, but everyone in town turned a blind eye to her prayers. She cursed the whole town, announcing the exact date of its demise, but once again, no one listened to her… Everyone forgot about the curse…”_

“Until it actually happened,” the Doctor sighed. “Alright, what is your plan?”


	3. Chapter 3

Eccleston believed that in order to lift the curse, they needed to find the nobleman’s descendants and have them offer a proper apology to the woman’s descendants.

“Alright, let’s assume we can find them. Let’s also assume that they haven’t been turned into zombies; what makes you think this will work?”

The Chartreux cat stared at him in disbelief:

_”I’m a cat, remember? We deal with that sort of the things all the time. Why do you think witches like us so much?”_

“Point taken…” Sighed the Doctor, wondering when his feline companion had become so smug.

He then walked to the main console and asked for the nobleman’s and the woman’s names. While the TARDIS was doing the search, the Time Lord insisted on knowing where Eccleston had been all that time.

_“Oh, you know, here and there, visiting the world…”_

“You didn’t like it in the bar anymore?”

The Doctor was referring to the bar where all members of U.N.I.T would gather to have a drink or two. The cat had found a new home there and seemed quite happy to stay with the bar owners.

_”It doesn’t exist anymore…”_

There was sadness in Eccleston’s voice and the Time Lord dropped the topic to focus on the search results.

“Just as I thought,” he said, mildly annoyed. “They all live in the town, which means that they all turned into zombies. Since you’re the expert in those matters, how do you recommend we process?”


	4. Chapter 4

_”We find them and then we improvise. Like we always do.”_

“I tend to disagree; we usually have a plan, or something that looks like it. Oh, and exactly how do you suggest we go through that crowd of zombies waiting outside the TARDIS?”

_”Easy!”_

The cat jumped on the TARDIS main console and before the Doctor could react, Eccleston had pressed a few buttons. The TARDIS dematerialised while the Chartreux cat licked his fur, apparently quite confident about his ability to pilot the TARDIS. Moments later, they materialised inside what remained of the town’s castle. It was almost a ruin, in despairing need of renovation.

Eccleston sniffed the air, picking up various scents and guided the Doctor through a labyrinth of deserted hallways.

“Where is everyone?” Whispered the Doctor. “I don’t like this a bit!”

The Chartreux cat came to a halt and started hissing.

“Just when I thought that we might have been trapped…”

A group of zombies was coming from the shadows and soon the Doctor and his furry companion were surrounded.

“One question comes to mind. Since the whole town was cursed, does this mean that only the inhabitants turned into zombies or anyone visiting the town can be turned?”

The Doctor clearly heard the cat sigh with annoyance.

_”What do you think?_


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor raised his hands:

“We mean you no arm. We are here to help.”

The mob kept walking towards them, moaning and whining.

“Now would be a good time for one of your brilliant ideas,” whispered the Time Lord to his companion.

_”What if I told you that I understand what they are saying?”_

“What?”

_”They are scared, they are in pain and they seek for help. Tell them who you are and that you can fix this.”_

“Are you sure that they will understand me? They don’t look very… alive…”

_”Trust me, they are perfectly fine inside. Their body became a prison, that’s all.”_

“I’m the Doctor and I can fix this!” Shouted the Time Lord, hoping that Eccleston knew what he was doing.

Much to his surprise, all zombies stopped and stretched their arms in front of them as if they were imploring him to help.

“That’s right. We know how to put things right. But we will need to see the descendants of the nobleman who lived here a long time ago.”

They all started to moan and the Doctor looked down at the Chartreux Cat.

_”All of them are the descendants of the nobleman.”_

There were about twenty people around them.

“Alright, so how do we proceed?”

_”We tell them about the curse and how to lift it. It’s up to you now.”_

Having said that, the cat jumped on a nearby chair, curled up and took a nap. The Doctor took a deep breath and started telling the story. All zombies remained still and silent. When he reached the part where no one in town took the curse seriously and it was soon forgotten, he realised that his entire audience was crying. He went on, explaining that the only way for the curse to be lifted was to beg for forgiveness.

“Now, I do realise that the poor woman’s descendants are also the nobleman’s descendants, so the next part might get a bit confusing. I want you to apologise to each other in turn. You’re both responsible for the curse and a victim of it. “

No one moved and the Doctor started to fear that they hadn’t grabbed the concept. That somehow their state had impaired their ability to think properly. But just as he was about to wake Eccleston up, the zombies turned toward each other, moaning loudly. Some even hugged each other. It was very intense and the Time Lord realised that the key to lift the curse was not the apology itself, but the strength of the victims’ feelings put together. They all were bathed in a gentle light, and when it finally faded, everyone was back to his old self.

An elderly couple walked out of the group:

“You saved us. On behalf of the family, thank you, Doctor.”

The Time Lord took the old woman’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“You’re very welcome. You should be safe now.”

_”Indeed, they are.”_

The Doctor turned to see that Eccleston was now sitting on the table, waiting for the Time Lord to pick him up.

_”Shall we go now?”_

The Doctor bid his farewell to the family and took the cat in his arms, carrying him all the way back to the TARDIS.

“Does this mean you intend on travelling with me from now on?”

_”Yes. You seem to be in serious need of a companion at the moment.”_

“Of course I am,” smiled the Doctor.


End file.
